Vintage Brass Candleholders

Vintage Feature – Aglow with Vintage Candleholders

Ellie McKinney Photography

Brass, silverplate, pewter, glass, wood, milk glass, and ceramic – Southern Vintage Table has vintage candleholders and candelabras in every possible flavor! Today we are sharing images taken this year spanning our varied collection. First up, the classic look of brass.

Brass, polished or aged, is always popular. The gold tone suits different styles and our collection has small, medium, and tall sizes as well as many candelabras in brass.

Stephanie Batten Photography
Vintage Goblet and Frame leaning on Candleholder
Jaclyn Auletta Photography
Emma Branch Photography

Our brass collection includes many different styles of candelabras. These three images come from two different styled shoots – one elegant look and one vintage lounge – and both terrific!

Hands down, our wooden candleholders were the most popular this year! The rustic, natural, and rich brown complements many different looks.

Glass candleholders are timeless and our collection includes candleholders and candelabras in clear glass. Although not included, we also have a few vintage amber, green, and pink glass candleholders. We continue to add to our vintage milk glass candleholder collection and currently have at least 10.

Vintage ceramic candleholders are also in our shelves from blue and white to rustic. Our blue and white decor collection is pretty awesome and includes vintage candleholders, pillar candle holders, and votive holders. Wouldn’t they look amazing with the vintage blue and white dinner plates? (In our opinion, you can’t have too much blue and white, right?)

Now, for our favorite look – peg votives. They come in clear and a variety of colors – amber, green, pink, blue, and red. We have over 65 clear and a good number of amber and green, and some pink, blue, and red. As many venues won’t allow open flames, these peg votives are the perfect solution. They can sit onto candleholders of any height, hold a votive, tea light, or even a small bouquet, and look so lovely!

Lastly, we have loads of clear vintage votive holders as well as a nice selection of pillar stands. And, yes, silver and pewter candleholders are in our inventory. We are waiting for the day when they will come back in style because we’ve got them, too!

Let us help you add the light to your tables – we’ve got so much to offer!


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Vintage Wildflower Stoneware

Vintage Feature – Three Tell-Tale Signs that Fall is Near

Vintage Napkin on Vintage Stoneware Plate

Summer has been brutal here in the NC with high temps and humidities, and though fall won’t be official until mid September, these three tell-tale signs tell us it’s closing in.

First, next weekend is our beloved Labor Day. This year most of us will be staying at home, like every day since March, but Labor Day sales will still go on and we’ll be shopping online, much like we’ve done for the past 5 months. Sure wish thrift stores offered online shopping!

Second, everything pumpkin is the rage again – when you can buy a pumpkin spice latte or pumpkin muffins, you know fall is coming. Yay! We just happen to love pumpkin anything!

Third, the favored color palette evolves from sweet pinks and blues to vibrant hues of amber, orange, red, and brown. Whether featured on a wreath, porch, or dinner table, these traditional fall colors add excitement and richness, and, with that extra touch of vintage, the look is memorably fabulous. Here are some of our favorite vintage fall tablescape looks.


Vintage Stoneware Place Settings on Table

Fall is coming and we are here to help with your event!


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Vintage Twin Decor Header

Vintage Feature – Vintage Twins

Yesterday was my birthday. No need to reveal which one 🙂 but I will tell you that I share this day with my twin brother. I think we were about 3 or 4 in this photo and living an idyllic life, free to roam the neighborhood with our 5 other siblings, hop boats docked at the pier, and stroll down to the bay beach to find horseshoe crabs. Many years later, I fondly remember these days but my birthday is also a reminder that my twin is no longer here in the physical world. He is sorely missed by so many, and although we think of him every single day, our shared birthday will always be a day of remembrance. ‘Til we meet again.


So, as a bonafide vintage twin, we decided to showcase some vintage twin decor pieces in our inventory because sometimes things are better in twos. By no means is this an inclusive list, but instead features an array of lovely paired treasures.

We are virtually available for consults and meetings to see these and other cool vintage pieces. Have a great week ahead!


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Vintage Egg Cups

Vintage Feature – The Adorable, Versatile Eggcup

Today’s post is about a little known piece of tableware that most of us in the US have never used or even seen. On the contrary, on breakfast tables all over Europe and Australia, folks are enjoying their soft-cooked eggs in an eggcup. Many are dipping pieces of toast, called soldiers, in the yolk and loving every morsel. For someone who doesn’t like runny yolks, this sounds anything but yummy but we decided that we had to at least try it.


Following directions, we placed eggs in water, took them to boiling, then turned off the heat and let them sit for 3-4 minutes. After pouring off the hot water and cooling them down with cold tap water, we placed them in the egg cups.

Tapping around the top with a knife, we carefully pulled off the broken shell. We dipped one soldier in and tasted it. Not yucky but not good either. We sprinkled salt and pepper on top, added more butter to the toast, and tried again – much better!

Will we eat soft cooked eggs on a regular basis? Nope. But, will we use vintage eggcups in other ways? Definitely!! Not only are they adorable, but eggcups can also hold pretty things other than just eggs!


Our favorite use is to add small clumps of fresh green moss. Against the crisp white of the eggcup, the organic green just pops. Don’t you love it, too?

A petite floral bouquet can be the perfect detail for a tablescape. We love how this is illustrated in the last photo here, taken by Jackson Signature Photography. It’s a small yet meaningful detail for guests to enjoy.

Other ideas? Why not present a small edible treat in egg cups, or use pinecones or Christmas decor to create a festive table? So many possibilities! As you can probably tell, we adore these little things!


To close, we send Happy Easter greetings to all. Many will miss the family traditions of this treasured spring holiday this year; however, we’ll all remember this Easter for many years to come. Here’s hoping that along with our lifestyle adaptations, we’ll all be more aware of two things that bind us all – hope and love.

Read more about these vintage lovelies:
History of Eggcups -Replacements
I Suddenly Wanted to Eat All of My Breakfasts Out of Eggcups – New York Magazine


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Vintage Green Plates

Vintage Feature – Something Old is Something Green

Green is much more than a color – it’s the essence of nature and emotes calmness, serenity, and rebirth. Prosperity, well-being, and optimism also are associated with this color and it makes sense that green represents environmental awareness and stewardship of our planet.

One mission of Southern Vintage Table is to be environmentally responsible. Our inventory of dishes, silverware, linens and decor are all vintage items found at thrift stores, auctions, yard sales, and consignment shops. Many family treasures also have been generously bestowed to Southern Vintage Table by friends and acquaintances.

When we use, repurpose, and repair vintage tableware, we are not only reducing our ecological footprint, we are embracing something very profound – that our shared past is to be revered, not thrown away. These pieces portray the history of the family dinner table from the early 1900s through the late 1990s and they are steeped in countless memories..

Vintage Plates in Basket

In addition to our rescue and reuse mission, we produce very little waste. Our commercial dishwasher is energy efficient and we reuse storage crates, racks, and bins, many of which are second-hand. Typically the only physical waste we have at the end of an event are plastic bags used to keep the rental items clean.

SVT has the something old while doing something green – sharing beautiful vintage items in a responsible, ecological manner. Whether you are looking for classic green crinkle goblets or the delicate pink dinner plates, choosing us means you are choosing green. From vintage plates to vintage decor, our inventory is eco-friendly, rescued, restored, and ready for you to appreciate and share with your guests.


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Salem China Collage

Vintage Feature – The Salem China Company

Southern Vintage Table Vintage China Rental NC
Photo by Tugba Tuncer

The lovely floral pattern, SLM158 (not a suitable name for this work of art, huh?), has a lot of history. It was produced by the Salem China Company, which was founded in 1898 in Salem, Ohio. The American company manufactured china for over 60 years, ending the production in 1960 and then becoming a distribution, sales and service company until 2003, when the main building was destroyed by fire.

Their patterns followed the trends of the time, with elegant florals, art deco creations, and traditional scenic designs. Also, if you love Christmas china, Salem had an extensive line of this favorite holiday. One particularly popular design from the 1930s, the triangular-shaped Tricorne, is now highly collectible – this explains why we have not come across these! Click to see some of the most popular Salem China designs and advertisements found at Laurel Hollow Brook,

~ Mount Vernon ~

Our quest to learn more about Salem China started with this set of salad plates in the once-popular Mount Vernon pattern. Enamored by its artistry and condition, we learned how to gauge the age of this particular plate. The “52” reveals that it was made in 1952 and the three starts signify the quarter of the year. With this information, we looked through our collection to find more about this American china company.

Mount Vernon, Salem China Company
~ Sovereign ~

Meet Sovereign, a gorgeous gold-rimmed pattern. We’ve actually had these for quite some time but now will certainly appreciate it more. We believe the V in the backstamp might reveal its age but we couldn’t find anything about the letter markings. We do know it had to be produced before 1960.

Sovereign, Salem China Company
~ Sandra ~

This gorgeous, delicate pattern is Sandra. Again, her mark includes a W which tells us nothing about its age. But, that doesn’t diminish how sweet she is. (So is my sister, Sandra!)

Sandra, Salem China Company
~ SLM43 ~

How in the world can a beautiful pattern with a green and gold encrusted rim and sweet lily of the valley have such a name? Certainly, we are perplexed but we do know from the backstamp that it was made in 1956.

SLM43, Salem China Company
~ SLM158 ~

Again, the name does not convey the gorgeousness of this pattern. From her mark, SLM158 belongs to a line called Quaker Girl, as homage to the Quaker residents and founders of Salem, Ohio. Her mark reveals that she was produced in 1952 during the first quarter.

SLM158, Salem China Company

And, on International Women’s Day, we serendipitously found this fascinating tidbit on Salem, Ohio on Wikipedia.

“In April 1850, Salem hosted the first Women’s Rights Convention in Ohio, the third such convention in the United States. (The first was the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848; the second was the Rochester Convention two weeks later.) The Salem Convention was the first of these conventions to be organized on a statewide basis.[17] All of the convention’s officers were women. Men were not allowed to vote, sit on the platform or speak during the convention. The male spectators were supportive, however, and when the convention was over, they created an organization of their own and endorsed the actions of the women’s convention.[18]


Salem China, we salute you! Your patterns are unique, lovely, and timeless. We love that you were manufactured in the town of Salem, a place known for its progressiveness in the 1800s, whose residents fought against slavery and for women. Hurrah!


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Closeup of Vintage Baby Scale

Vintage Feature – A Message Found in a Vintage Vase (and a Few More Treasures)

A few new vintage treasures found their way into the studio this week and each of them have their own unique story! Starting with a timeless classic, these two vintage silver-plated cake stands are now part of our inventory. They arrived as a gift to SVT and we can’t wait to see the first cake or fancy dessert on them! (Thank you, Lucy!)

Brass candelabras are golden elegance and we are always looking to add to our collection, With the French blue candles, this funky ornate candelabra looks glorious. This find was in one of our favorite thrifting haunts – so sorry, we can’t share this secret!

Vintage Brass Candelabra with Blue Candles

Do you know how much we adore vintage scales? We have 4 vintage kitchen scales and 1 postage and what was missing is what we found – a vintage baby scale in the softest shade of yellow. Look at those sweet baby faces – adorable! (Thank you, Mary Beth, for letting this one come to us.)

Now for our last vintage find. When we found this in a Wilmington thrift store, we thought it was nice – and heavy – so we picked it up to add to our growing collection of vintage brass vases. Back at the studio, we were cleaning it before putting it on the shelf, and, voila, we found this secret note inside!

This nice, heavy, vintage brass vase was given by a husband to his wife for their 50th golden anniversary 75 years ago! Oh my goodness! Laura, if you should read this, please contact us – we’d love for you to have this family treasure. In the meantime, we will be sharing this story to everyone who places a bouquet in this vase.

As always, thanks for visiting today. In honor of Presidents’ Day, here’s a funny quote from the wonderful Jimmy Carter.

“My esteem in this country has gone up substantially. It is very nice now that when people wave at me, they use all of their fingers.”

PS – Yes, that’s my reflection in the vase. 🙂


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Vintage Floral China Plates

Vintage Features – Just a Few Favorites from 2019

2019 has been a great year for SVT! These images are among our favorites and feature weddings, showers, corporate gatherings, dinner parties, and styled shoots. Sincerest thanks to our clients and their talented photographers for these beautiful vintage visions!

Looking forward to 2020 and sending happy new year wishes to all!


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Vintage Floral Dinner Plate

Vintage Feature – Bold & Bonny Bouquets on Vintage China

Florals on china are so lovely and vintage patterns seem even more beautiful. Today’s blog features five bold floral vintage china patterns, four of which were made in England and one from the United States.

Let’s begin with this beauty, Stratford by Royal Doulton. Produced for twenty years, from 1941-1962, this pattern features almost every color – yellow, pink, purple, green, and gray. We love the scalloped floral rim! Meredith and Jessie delighted their guests with them.

Next up is Staffordshire Bouquet by Johnson Brothers, also made in England. So many clients come to our studio and comment on how much they love this pattern. Featuring brown, red, yellow, green, and blue, this swirl-rimmed pattern was only made seven years, from 1973-1979.

We’d like to introduce you to our third bold floral, English Bouquet by Johnson Brothers. As our most recent addition to our inventory, we immediately knew it was a Johnson Brothers design. It’s brighter color palette includes pink, blue, yellow and green. One internet source says this pattern is from the 1920s!

The fourth of our featured vintage patterns is Bouquet by Myotts Staffordshire, England. With its darker hues of brown, amber, green, and maroon as well as the swirled, scalloped edge, this pattern one of our favorites! The details are stunning! Although we couldn’t find the production dates for this pattern, we know that since it’s mark doesn’t have the Myotts-Meakin stamp, it can’t be after 1989 and we believe it’s much older.

Lastly, here’s our lone USA-made vintage bold floral design to feature. This one is called May Flower and it’s made by the Californian company, Vernon Kilns. Featuring florals of yellow, blue, purple, and white along with the basketweave rim, this pattern is so darn pretty! Amazingly, May Flower was only made from 1942-1953 and they look gorgeous on Meredith and Jessie’s reception tables.

So there they are! Five gorgeous bold vintage floral patterns made by five different potteries in England and America. Can you name them now? Hint – most of them have “bouquet’ in their name!

Source – Replacements, Ltd


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